The BCLive league table once again broke the £5.0 billion monthly total to send the UK construction sector into the festive period with its head held high and with much to look forward to in 2022. Builders’ Conference CEO Neil Edwards looks over yet another positive set of figures. ***
Tradesman and tradeswomen are being urged to get involved with the ‘Big Brew’ – a new national campaign to highlight the mental health crisis in the construction sector. The Big Brew started on 1 October and has encourage tradespeople to connect and talk over a cuppa in a bid to
Yesterday HS2 launched its first tunnel boring machine (TBM) in the Midlands The 2,000 tonne TBM has started on its journey to dig a one-mile tunnel under Long Itchington Wood in Warwickshire, preserving the precious habitats above The TBM is named ‘Dorothy’ after Dorothy Hodgkin, who in 1964 became the
Teams working at Tideway’s Victoria Embankment Foreshore site have completed work to uncover the original Bazalgette sewer at the site, taking another important step towards Tideway’s integration with London’s existing sewer system. In order to connect to Bazalgette’s sewers to divert sewage into the main tunnel, the team at Victoria
Ranking among the most demanding bridges in the world—not only in terms of complexity of construction but also in a complex design—2,404-m (7,887.14-ft) long, Peljesac bridge is one of the most important and largest infrastructure project in Europe. Connecting Croatia’s Peljesac peninsula with the mainland to bypass a short stretch
Bakewell’s local war hero Colonel Leslie Wright was honoured at a housing development named after the great man. Diginitaries gathered at the site on Shutts Lane to hear local pupils from Lady Manners School tell the story of the Colonel before a stone marking the opening was unveiled. They were
Brickflow, the UK’s first search engine for development finance, reports a record number of loan terms that accounts for £88 million that were issued through its deal forum in November. The deal forum is similar to a competitive tender process; developers input their project details and Brickflow’s algorithms select the
A topping-out ceremony to mark the completion of the external structure at Amber House, a new development of affordable homes in Bracknell took place on Tuesday 30th November. Councillor Dale Birch, Deputy Leader of Bracknell Forest Council joined senior members of Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing (MTVH), The Hill Group and
The BCLive league table once again broke the £5.0 billion monthly total to send the UK construction sector into the festive period with its head held high and with much to look forward to in 2022. Builders’ Conference CEO Neil Edwards looks over yet another positive set of figures. *** (see full reports at base of post) With a week of the month left to run, the BCLive league table looked set to fall short of the £4.0 billion benchmark to which the industry has become accustomed. But with just a few days remaining, the industry apparently reached down the back of the sofa and found sufficient new contract awards to push the total for November past first £4.0 billion and ultimately just past £5.0 billion to finish on £5.1 billion. Bearing in mind that November traditionally marks the beginning of a slow and inexorable slide towards the Christmas period, a £5.1 billion total should send the sector into the festivities with renewed confidence. Leading the charge this month is Wates with an 11 contract haul valued at more than half a billion pounds (£557 million). The largest of these is a £157 million mixed use development on Plot A1 on London’s Surrey Quays Road and Canada Water Dock. That development will comprise a 35-storey building made up of 168 apartments and extensive office space. Claiming second place on the BCLive league table for the month of November 2021 is Winvic, courtesy of a six contract haul valued at a combined £400.8 million. The largest of these and the largest single contract award of the month is for a £220 million distribution centre at Sutton Coldfield. Securing a pair of projects and simultaneously claiming the number three position is a joint venture between Galliard Homes, Apsley House Capital and Wavensmere Homes. The largest of the two project wins is a £150 million contract to build 400 new homes at Shotley Peninsula near Ipswich on the site of the former HMS Ganges naval facility. In a month in which 13 companies picked up in excess of £100 million in new contract awards, McAleer & Rushe took the number four position with a three project haul valued at a combined £197.5 million. The most significant of these is the £140 million redevelopment of the former Royal Mail Mount Pleasant sorting office in Farringdon as part of a mixed use development including the construction of new homes. Rounding off the BCLive league table top five while simultaneously retaining its crown for the highest number of contract awards is Kier Group which collected 17 new contract awards worth a combined £185 million. The largest of these is a £36 million contract from the Ministry of Justice for the hard facilities management at various prisons across the UK. Kier Group also bagged a £35 million contract for the construction of four residential blocks at Princess Road in Bournemouth that will comprise 121 flats. That Bournemouth contract was one of 156 pure housing projects recorded during a month in which house building once again accounted for almost 40 percent of new contract awards during the month. Factor in the housing element of the miscellaneous category that covers mixed use developments, and it is likely that house-building contributed around half of the monthly total. Industrial units & factories (677 million), offices (527 million), education (£479 million) also saw an uptick during the month of November. Regionally, London led the way yet again, reporting 116 new contract awards valued at a combined £1.19 billion. The West and East Midlands (£705 and £194 million respectively) continues to enjoy a period of positivity. Scotland reported £237 million, up on the previous month, but still lagging behind Yorkshire which reported 12 new contract awards valued at £270 million. There was a hope that the BCLive league table’s rolling year total might surpass the £90 billion mark. That now appears unlikely. But £85 billion remains an all-time high and it should provide the confidence the industry needs as it prepares for 2022. Quick review of BCLive table for November 2021 299 no companies were detailed as winning new contracts during November 2021 447 no new construction orders were researched by Builders’ Conference all detailed on the UK’s only Live league table of construction contract awards BCLive Wates Ltd secured overall top spot with a single contract worth £557 million Kier Group was the company with the most number of new construction orders in the month with 17no totaling £185 million The importance of independent, live construction information, sales leads and bespoke construction sector analysis has never been more important and the Builders’ Conference delivers this real-time service, via one of the most digitally advanced platforms on the UK market. To keep the UK’s only independent and transparent construction project information service available WE NEED YOUR HELP! By becoming a member today – Your business will then have the ability to critically analyse thousands of projects & compile unlimited bespoke reports with your own logo attached via our digitally advance platform which contains a totally unique feature of being able to add images of projects & workmanship for every user to view. Call 0208 770 0111 or go to the website and press the top right button to register your enquiry Discover what is really happening in UK construction as well as critically analysing ALL our data via our built in report writing service. Go to BuildersConference.co.uk/how-it-works for more information. We are a not for profit organisation who are dedicated to maintain our high level of services for as long as possible with the financial support of our membership. We firmly believe because it is the UK construction industries own information which we analyse no one should be paying vast sums to read it! Proud to have been bringing validated UK construction information since 1935. CLICK BELOW TO SEE REPORTS TOP 50 CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS AWARDED RESULTS: 01/12/2020 – 30/11/2021 TOP 300 CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS AWARDED RESULTS: 01/11/2021 – 30/11/2021 Builders’ Conference research of Construction
Tradesman and tradeswomen are being urged to get involved with the ‘Big Brew’ – a new national campaign to highlight the mental health crisis in the construction sector. The Big Brew started on 1 October and has encourage tradespeople to connect and talk over a cuppa in a bid to remove the taboo around mental health across the construction industry. The event is the brainchild of national construction charity Band of Builders (BoB), which is organising a range of events on construction sites and at builders’ merchants up and down the UK to encourage people within the industry to come together to discuss mental health issues and support one another, breaking down the stigma around mental health – and also helping the charity fund its vital services. Resideo (through its Honeywell Home brand), Jewson, DeWalt and JW Grant are supporters of the Big Brew and have already pledged to host events throughout October. The campaign comes amid a mental health crisis within the industry, with the suicide rate of UK construction workers estimated to be as high as two people every day. UK construction workers are also nearly three times more likely to die by suicide than their counterparts in other industries. Further shocking figures show that: ● In the UK alone, more than 400,000 working days were lost to mental health issues in 2018 (55% of all days lost)1 ● Mental health issues cost the UK construction industry approximately £37 billion every year ● A survey in 2019 found that 90% of construction managers said they had struggled with their mental health2 BoB is a registered charity that helps members of the UK construction industry who are battling illness or injury. It does this through the completion of practical projects, with volunteer tradespeople giving up their time to work on these projects, while materials are donated by companies across the construction industry. Peter Cape, Big Brew lead at BoB, wants to encourage tradespeople to get involved with the Big Brew. “It’s so important that members of the construction community look out for each other, including talking about mental health or looking for the telltale signs that fellow roofers may be struggling – and what better way to do it than over a brew, especially a big one,” said Peter. He went on to say: “We are all acutely aware of the mental health crisis within construction. Suicide rates in the sector were already at one per day before the COVID pandemic, according to ONS figures, and it’s widely accepted that these have worsened to closer to two per day3. “At Band of Builders, we see the struggles of our colleagues within our community on a regular basis and see peer-to-peer support as vital to addressing this crisis. That’s where the Big Brew comes in. By encouraging people to do such a basic thing – sharing a brew – we want to create a space where tradespeople and others in the sector can share experiences, break down taboos around mental health and support one another. The Big Brew isn’t just about a few one-off events but about creating something long term that will address one of the biggest issues in our industry all year round.” What the Big Brew will fund Anyone can host a Big Brew – and builders wishing to register to host their own events can visit https://www.bandofbuilders.org/the-big-brew/ to find out more. Hosting a Big Brew will offer a place for people to meet and share a cuppa. It will also help raise funds to provide a range of mental health support services aimed at members of the UK construction industry and focused on supply chain companies, small businesses and the self-employed, who were recently discovered to be at higher risk than those working in larger organisations. These support services will include: · Funding dedicated industry mental health support lines · The provision of interim counselling services to support members of the UK construction industry · The provision of counselling support for BoB beneficiaries and volunteers · The provision of 300 free mental health awareness course places for small and medium-sized businesses and the self-employed. BoB will also work with fellow construction charity The Lighthouse Club and partners on the Beacons campaign, which aims to increase the provision of, and access to, regional peer support groups Know your wellbeing STATS Peter Cape added that, as part of the campaign, the Big Brew will encourage tradespeople to remember their wellbeing STATS and support one another: S – Support each other T – Talk about it A – Always ask twice T – Take it seriously S – Stop the cycle He said: “Wellbeing STATS around mental health are vital, and we hope that the Big Brew will be a way for tradespeople to start opening up, even just a little bit, because we all need to do everything we can to start reversing the mental health crisis in the construction sector.” Support the Big Brew at https://www.bandofbuilders.org/the-big-brew/
Yesterday HS2 launched its first tunnel boring machine (TBM) in the Midlands The 2,000 tonne TBM has started on its journey to dig a one-mile tunnel under Long Itchington Wood in Warwickshire, preserving the precious habitats above The TBM is named ‘Dorothy’ after Dorothy Hodgkin, who in 1964 became the first British woman to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Yesterday [2 December] HS2 CEO Mark Thurston pushed the button to start HS2’s tunnel boring machine on its one-mile journey under Long Itchington Wood in Warwickshire, marking the launch of the first TBM on the Midlands section of HS2. Around 170 engineers have been working on the 2,000 tonne, 125m long TBM during its construction and assembly. An expert tunnelling team will now work around the clock in shifts to operate the machine for around five months as it excavates the first bore of the one-mile tunnel. HS2 Minister Andrew Stephenson said: “This is yet another vital landmark in our journey towards a better connected Britain and with the launching of Dorothy today in Warwickshire, shows real progress in helping transform journeys across our country. “It also underlines how our £96bn Integrated Rail Plan – the largest ever investment in our rail network – is instrumental in creating jobs and economic opportunities, and ensuring more people reap the benefits of better rail journeys.” This will be the first HS2 tunnel to be completed on the project, with the machine set to break through its first bore at the south portal in Spring 2022. It will then be disassembled and taken back to the north portal to dig the second bore, which is due to be completed in early 2023. The tunnel, which will preserve the ancient woodland above, forms a key element in how HS2 is managing environmental impacts through the design of the railway, preserving Britain’s precious wildlife habitats. These woods are classified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and have complex ecosystems that have taken hundreds of years to establish. HS2 CEO Mark Thurston said: “Today is another major milestone for HS2. You can see the real progress the project is making as we launch this TBM on one of HS2’s largest sites in the Midlands, contributing to massive job creation in the region. “More than 20,000 jobs and over 650 apprenticeships are already being supported by HS2, which is set to transform transport links between Britain’s major cities, free up space on the rail network for more freight and local services, and support the UK’s transition to net zero carbon emissions.” The machine will remove a total of 250,000 cubic metres of mudstone and soil which will be transported to the on-site slurry treatment plant where the material is separated out before being reused on embankments and landscaping along the route. After a national vote, the TBM was named ‘Dorothy’ – after Dorothy Hodgkin, who in 1964 became the first British woman to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Her discoveries included confirming the structure of penicillin, and her work with insulin paved the way for it to be used on a large scale for treatment of diabetes. She died in 1994 in Shipston-on-Stour in Warwickshire. The name was suggested by a student from Warwickshire College Group. Michael Dyke, Managing Director of Balfour Beatty VINCI said: “Today represents a significant milestone, culminating months of hard work and representing a vitally important moment in the delivery of Britain’s new high-speed railway line. “As Dorothy, our cutting-edge Tunnel Boring Machine, sets off on her one-mile journey, our work across the northern section of HS2 continues to progress at pace. Over the next few months, we’ll be building on our efforts to recruit the 7,000 people required across the Midlands to help us shape the UK’s future infrastructure landscape; those who will see their work enjoyed for many years.” Working in partnership with youth charity the Prince’s Trust, Balfour Beatty VINCI has pledged to provide 30 Kickstart placements this year as part of its ongoing commitment to support young people from the local area into work. Kickstart is a Government funded initiative aimed at creating job placements for 16- to 24-year-olds who are on Universal Credit and at risk of long-term unemployment. It forms part of the Government’s Plan for Jobs campaign and is designed to support those who have been adversely affected by the pandemic. Three Kickstart placements have now secured permanent roles with BBV, including Samuel from Tamworth, who had originally wanted to become a mechanical engineer but had been unemployed during lockdown. Samuel, who is now doing a Site Engineering Apprenticeship with BBV, said: “It’s exciting knowing that I am working on a project as big as this – it’s a major project for my country that also aims to benefit local businesses. I hope to progress my career inside of Balfour Beatty VINCI and continue working on HS2 as a whole. If civil engineering is a career goal for anyone, then HS2 is one of the best jobs you can have on your CV. It’s a major project and from my experience the day-to-day scale of the job is very exciting. Every week looks different to the last.” The final section at the south end of the tunnel will become a ‘green tunnel’ – also known as a cut and cover tunnel – where a soil ‘roof’ is built around the tunnel entrance to integrate the portal into the natural landscape. In total there will be ten HS2 tunnel boring machines (TBMs) on Phase One, working to create 64 miles of tunnel between London and the West Midlands for Britain’s high speed rail project.
Teams working at Tideway’s Victoria Embankment Foreshore site have completed work to uncover the original Bazalgette sewer at the site, taking another important step towards Tideway’s integration with London’s existing sewer system. In order to connect to Bazalgette’s sewers to divert sewage into the main tunnel, the team at Victoria Embankment had to uncover part of the Northern Low-Level Sewer, which formed part of the original Victorian sewerage system. While works were carried out, a temporary flume pipe was installed within the existing Victorian brick sewer to ensure sewage can continue to flow through during work. An interception chamber has also been constructed that will redirect sewage flows towards the new super sewer via a 48m deep shaft. Adnan Noor, Project Manager at Victoria Embankment, said: “This milestone, after 13 months of civil engineering and demolition work, represents an important step towards our mission to clean up the River Thames from sewage pollution. Making these connections with Bazalgette’s existing system are a great reminder of the scale of his work and its contribution to London. We’re proud of our part in updating it for future generations.” The Ferrovial Construction and Laing O’Rourke (FLO) joint venture, the principal contractor for the 12.7km central section of the 25km Thames Tideway Tunnel, appointed Barhale to carry out the works at Victoria Embankment Foreshore. Barhale Regional Director Phil Cull, said: “The completion of the breakout of the Northern Low-Level Sewer at Victoria Foreshore and the construction of the interception chamber is an important step in the integration of London’s systems – old and new.” “We are very pleased to have successfully delivered this key element of the Tideway project at Victoria Embankment Foreshore. Tideway is a huge project and we are proud to be playing our part in upgrading London’s infrastructure not only to meet existing demand but also for generations to come.” The Victoria Embankment Foreshore site will be used to control the existing local Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO), known as the Regent Street CSO. After commissioning, the connections will allow overflows at the CSO to be intercepted and carried into the 25km Tideway “super sewer” tunnel, before being treated at Beckton Sewage Treatment Works. Northern Low-Level Sewer No.1 starts in Hammersmith in the west of the city then runs beneath Fulham before joining, and becoming an integral part of, the Thames Embankment at Cheyne Walk in Chelsea. Its flows are ultimately raised at the Abbey Mills pumping station to join the Northern Outfall Sewer.
Ranking among the most demanding bridges in the world—not only in terms of complexity of construction but also in a complex design—2,404-m (7,887.14-ft) long, Peljesac bridge is one of the most important and largest infrastructure project in Europe. Connecting Croatia’s Peljesac peninsula with the mainland to bypass a short stretch of the Bosnia and Herzegovina coastline started three years ago. The project is worth 550 Million Euros, although most of the funding came from the European Union. ln order to meet the main criteria of quality design, such as stability, durability, economy, and integration into the environment, the inventive design proposed the construction of an extra dosed bridge with an integrated hybrid structure comprising of five central spans, each 285-m long, and six low pylons. Especially careful approach was taken to ensure durability for the extended lifespan of over 130 years. Cortec’s MCI® 2018 was specified on this project during the design phase as a silane-based impregnation with a migrating inhibitor property to protect against the harmful effects of corrosion, thus extending the service life of the bridge. MCI® 2018 is a 100% silane-based concrete sealer containing migrating corrosion inhibitors that allows deep penetration into concrete and provides water repellence by chemically reacting with the cementitious substrate. It seals surface pores, preventing the intrusion of chlorides, reduces carbonation, and protects from the ingress of wind-driven rain. Treated concrete surfaces are fully breathable and their natural moisture-vapor transmission is not affected. After repair of surface damage and cleaning of discolorations and other surface defects, the concrete surface of the pylons needed to be protected with a colorless silane coating to improve durability and increase the resistance of the concrete surface to long-term external influences. MCI®-2018 carries CE certification that indicates conformity with health, safety and environmental protection standards for products sold within the European Economic Area (EEA). Application of MCI®-2018 A combination of AC coatings, cathodic protection of steel reinforcement in piles and pile heads, a concrete cover of 65–85 mm stainless steel reinforcement and impregnation of all concrete surfaces with MCI®-2018 was chosen as the strategy to help the bridge achieve a 130-year service life. MCI®-2018 was applied on the entire substructure of the bridge. All concrete parts were coated with MCI®-2018 by a spraying technique. The work was performed in accordance with the project requirements and after surface preparation to full functionality. This included: Access to pylons Rehabilitation of the concrete surface of the pylons Cleaning the concrete surface of the pylon (washing the pillars with water) Impregnation of the concrete surface of the pylon with MCI®-2018. MCI®-2018 contains time-proven Migrating Corrosion Inhibitors (MCI®). The silane component provides water repellency by chemically reacting with the cementitious substrate under proper application, decreasing the ingress of aggressive materials. The product penetrates deep into concrete, providing corrosion protection to reinforcing steel from existing water and chloride ions, or other contaminants. For the Peljesac bridge, continuous monitoring of the condition of the structure at one central place will be done during the construction phase and the exploitation phase to examine parameters of structural behavior, time, seismic activity, and structural durability. The designer of the bridge specified corrosion protection for all concrete segments in order to achieve a 130-year service life. After completion, the Peljesac Bridge will be ranked among the five largest and most attractive European bridges, constructed at the beginning of 21st century. This important new structure is connecting two separate parts of Croatia and bypassing border crossings at the short coastal strip near Neum in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Cortec’s CEO, Boris Miksic, Croatian-American businessman is proud that his patented technology was used on this historic project to connect two parts of his country. “Our MCI® technology is used in largest construction projects throughout the globe. I dedicated more than forty years of my life in developing most advanced, environmentally safe corrosion protection solutions. Witnessing its application in my home country on this monumental bridge structure is truly a special feeling. Croatia has gone through some tough times, having to fight its independence in a war 30 years ago. Seeing it prosper and develop in of the most desirable countries in Europe feels just about right and completion of Peljesac bridge is huge step forward for all of us.” You can learn more about Migrating Corrosion Inhibitors (MCI®) here: https://www.cortecmci.com/
Bakewell’s local war hero Colonel Leslie Wright was honoured at a housing development named after the great man. Diginitaries gathered at the site on Shutts Lane to hear local pupils from Lady Manners School tell the story of the Colonel before a stone marking the opening was unveiled. They were joined by members of Derbyshire Dales District Council and staff from Lindum Construction as well as other involved parties for the event. “We are very proud to deliver the first affordable housing in the beautiful Peak National Park for 10 years, especially as it is an area of the country where house prices and affordability are particularly volatile. This scheme not only brings new affordable homes for local people, it has benefited the local community and local economy. We feel this development is a real achievement for all concerned,” said Elizabeth Froude, Group Chief Executive of Platform Housing group. Colonel Leslie Wright Close is made up of 30 homes built for Platform Housing Group in a project that took almost a decade to come to fruition. Meticulous planning ensured the homes were built to maintain the look of the area, using stone from the local Dale View quarry at Stanton Moor. The land was originally bought from Lady Manners school, who used the funds to build their 3G sports pitch which is now enjoyed by the school and wider community. “This project has been 13 years in the making and in pushing for the scheme from the start we recognised an overwhelming need for these homes. All partners have worked extremely hard to secure high quality affordable homes for local people who have a link to Bakewell,” said the Leader of DDDC, Councillor Garry Purdy, who was also in attendance. “The District Council carried out two housing need surveys in Bakewell that underlined the need for this development. We allocated £500,000 capital funding to help make these homes happen in the National Park and I would suggest that this scheme is arguably the single most important affordable housing scheme in the District Council’s housing programme in recent times. “We had never before allocated £500,000 to an affordable housing scheme and every penny came from Right To Buy proceeds from our former council housing stock, demonstrating how Right To Buy receipts are being used to replace homes lost across the Derbyshire Dales in the National Park.”
Brickflow, the UK’s first search engine for development finance, reports a record number of loan terms that accounts for £88 million that were issued through its deal forum in November. The deal forum is similar to a competitive tender process; developers input their project details and Brickflow’s algorithms select the lenders most likely to make a loan offer and on which loan terms. Borrowers can then choose up to five lenders to bid in a blind auction. Brickflow’s platform secured competitive interest rates, with Loan to Gross Development Values ranging from 50% to 83%, for 17 developers that have funding for projects in the residential, hotel, HMO, retirement living, light industrial and supported living sectors. “By creating an auction environment, borrowers receive the most competitive rates in record time. A LTGDV of 83% is unheard of, especially at a blended senior & mezzanine rate of 8.49%. Our online tools help borrowers complete perfect lender presentations – with first time users stating they can do it within 15 minutes,” commented Ian Humphreys, Brickflow’s co-founder and head of lending. “Our goal is to connect borrowers and lenders in seconds and give developers seamless and fast access to property finance. Judging by November’s activity, I’m confident we can become the UK’s leading facilitator of all development finance transactions.” Below is a summary of the property types, loan sizes and winning interest rates. The cumulative LTGDV being 65.56% at an average rate of 7.05%. Location Property Type GDV Loan Size Loan to GDV Winning Bid Midlands Residential £2,694,600.00 £1,697,598.00 63% 6.25% Midlands Residential £2,550,000.00 £1,657,500.00 65% 6.25% London Hotel £15,300,000.00 £9,015,230.00 59% 6.00% East Anglia Residential £2,600,000.00 £1,508,000.00 58% 6.25% Midlands HMO £4,250,000 £2,592,500.00 61% 6.25% Scotland Residential £2,200,000 £1,408,000.00 64% 8.40% South-East Light industrial £2,148,000.00 £1,065,408.00 50% 8.10% North-West Residential £7,950,000.00 £5,521,000.00 69% 6.40% South-East Residential £9,460,000.00 £7,851,800.00 83% 8.49% North-West Residential £2,510,000.00 £1,631,500.00 65% 8.10% London Residential £44,000,000.00 £29,040,000.00 66% 7.50% Midlands Retirement living £9,500,000.00 £6,175,000.00 65% 7.25% South-East Residential £14,576,800.00 £9,474,920.00 65% 6.45% East Anglia Residential £3,440,500.00 £2,236,325.00 65% 6.65% East Anglia Residential £1,932,000.00 £1,255,800.00 65% 7.00% East Anglia Residential £7,184,000.00 £4,669,600.00 65% 6.65% Midlands Supported living £2,548,000.00 £1,605,240.00 63% 7.90%
A topping-out ceremony to mark the completion of the external structure at Amber House, a new development of affordable homes in Bracknell took place on Tuesday 30th November. Councillor Dale Birch, Deputy Leader of Bracknell Forest Council joined senior members of Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing (MTVH), The Hill Group and Councillors Thomas Parker and Dee Hamilton to celebrate this important construction milestone. “The regeneration of Bracknell town centre is about more than just great shops it includes the provision of much needed new homes. This exciting new chapter will serve to enhance our vibrant community and provide more housing options for local people. I am really thrilled to be here today to see the impressive progress happening on a site which will deliver so many fully affordable new homes for the people of Bracknell Forest,” said Councillor Dale Birch at the ceremony. Located in the centre of Bracknell, the new scheme forms part of the wider £240m regeneration that is taking place in the town centre. Amber House will comprise a mixed-use scheme consisting of 193 high-specification affordable homes set across the development, alongside 350 m2 of additional commercial space and a boulevard of communal amenities including shops, restaurants and leisure facilities on the ground floor. “We are delighted to meet another important milestone in this project and partner with Bracknell Forest Council and The Hill Group on the regeneration of Bracknell town centre. The combination of much needed new homes as well as shopping, community, social and leisure facilities will improve the quality of life for residents. It will also lead to greater opportunities for work and benefit the entire local community. MTVH is excited to help this redevelopment continue to go from strength to strength,” added Geeta Nanda OBE, Chief Executive of MTVH. Previously occupied by two office buildings Amber House and Northgate House, MTVH acquired the site to provide a 100% ‘affordable housing’ scheme where Hill Group will be delivering 74 one- bedroom and 119 two-bedroom apartments, which will be available through Shared Ownership and Social Rent in Summer 2023. “We are pleased with the progress on the development of Amber House and are delighted to be working with MTVH and Bracknell Forest Council on this landmark scheme which will provide much needed affordable new homes and amenities for this new neighbourhood,” commented Ryan Harris, Regional Director at Hill.
